President Barack Obama on Friday will nominate Sen. John Kerry,
the former presidential candidate who chairs the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, to be the next secretary of state, a senior
administration official told CNN.
The senior senator from Massachusetts is noted for the experience,
gravitas and relationship-building skills that could help him succeed
Hillary Clinton, the outgoing top U.S. diplomat.
Kerry has traveled the globe on behalf of the Obama administration
to mend frayed relationships. Most notably, he traveled to Pakistan
after a series of incidents, including the raid that killed al Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden, that had set relations back.
He has support from Republicans as well as Democrats. The
nomination will be sent to the Senate for confirmation.
"There are very few people with greater experience over a longer
period of time," said Nicholas Burns, a former career ambassador
who has served every secretary of state since Warren Christopher,
and was most recently undersecretary for political affairs under
Condoleezza Rice. "He would be a very, very impressive choice."
"You really need someone who is a renaissance person with a
tremendous range of skill, both political and substantive, with a
deep reservoir of knowledge," Burns said in an interview. "You
need someone who can drill several layers deep on foreign policy
issues."
Sizing up Kerry as secretary of state.
W
www.cnnmobile.com/primary/fullarticle?articleId=cnn/2012/12/21/politics/kerry-nomination&pageSize=10&category=intl

Good!
Hilary Clinton needs some rest.